While there is absolutely nothing wrong with acoustic builds, adding some form of pickup to your CBG is a great way to open up a whole world of possibility. Guitar (store bought or cigar box) electronics can be a complex topic, and involved books have been written on the subject. Here, we’ll try to give you a basic overview of the most commonly used options, as well as point you in the right direction for picking up the parts you need.

There are three main decision points when it comes to installing a pickup into your cigar box guitar:

What type of pickup to use Piezo, Magnetic or Microphone, and how many?

Will you include a Volume and/or Tone Potentiometer?

What type of jack will you use?

For now, be sure to check out all of the great cigar box guitar electronics available over at C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply. From piezos to jacks, potentiometers to magnetic pickups, switches to capacitors, they have what you need! Also, we recommend you check out the two-part article on piezo usage over at CBGitty.com: